Cable construction



Oct. 10, 1939. M. L. ECKMAN CABLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 25, 1937 INVENTOR. M52211. L Zoom/v BY l an Aw ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 10, 1939 h l 2,175,749

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CABLE CONSTRUCTION Meril L. Eckman, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to American Coach and Body Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 23, 1937, Serial No. 126,995

(flaims; (Cl. 174-15) This invention relates to a. cable construction, ed on asupport II. Connected to this power and especially to one that is intended for use in supply unit I II by my improved cable construcconnection with an electric welding apparatus. tion 20, is a suitable welding electrode I2, ar- More particularly, the present invention is conranged to coact with another electrode H, which 5 cerned with a cable construction which may be is also connected to the power supply by a cable 5 int n t betw n a power supply and a I 5, which, if desired, may be constructed in all portable electric welding tool and which will inrespects similar to the cable 20. My improved clude a conductor for supplying a welding curcable is preferably the usual copper wire conrent to the welding electrode, other conductors ductor, and is capable of transmitting the desired for controlling the power supply for the electrode, welding current from the power unit III to the 10 or operating mechanism therefor, together with electrode l2. Such cables generally comprise a conduits through which a cooling fluid may be plurali y f p lly wound nds 2 a an may circulated to cool both the electrode and the be secured at either end by sleeves, such a is power-supply conductor. These, therefore, are shown in Fig. 2 at 22. The sleeves are generally the general objects of the present invention. arranged to be removably connected. by a cou- 15 A more specific object of this invention is to pling member 23, either with an electrode s ch provide a rugged cable construction which will as that indicated at i2, in Fig. 2, or a connector be compact, flexible, simple to assemble and It, for connecting the cable to the source of curcapable of being economically manufactured. rent supply.

Another object of the present invention is to Welding electrodes are subject to excessive 20 provide a cable construction for an electric heat during the welding operation. 'Hence,- to welding mechanism or the like, which cable will protect the electrode theyhave been cooled by include an electric conductor or cable enclosed circulating astream of cooling fluid therethrough.

within a flexible insulating sleeve, and so ar- The conductor which conducts the welding currange the construction as to prevent contact berent is also subjected to this excessive heat. 25

tween the insulation and the conductor to avoid Hence, I propose to expose the conductor, as well burning ofthe insulation when the conductor as the electrode, to the circulating cooling fluid. becomes heated, due to prolonged periods of use. I accomplish this by providing a passageway for A further object of the invention is to provide such fluid between the metallic conductor 2| a cable construction arranged and adapted to and its-sheath of insulation or rubber 30. As 80 supply a welding electrode with a welding curshown in the drawing, and especially in Fig. 2,

rent, and through which a circulatory flow of a I spirally wind an elongated rubber bead or ribcooling medium may be maintained for efficiently bon 25 about the conductor 2|. This ribbon is cooling both the electrode and the conductor. comparatively narrow and is secured to the con- Other objects of the present invention will beductor 2| at spaced intervals, .by comparatively 35 come more apparent from the following descripsmall wires 26. These wires are wrapped about tion, reference being had to a preferred embodithe ribbon and conductor, as shown in Fig. 2, ment of the invention'illustrated in the accomand are secured to the conductor by welding or panying drawing. The essential features of the soldering, as indicated at 21. The conductor 2i,

5 invention will be summarized in the claims. together with the ribbon 25, is enclosed within a 40 In the drawing, Fig. lillustratesa welding unit flexible tube or conduit. This tube is preferor tool, comprising a pair of; portable welding ably made of rubber or some other water-imelectrodes, one of which is connected to the power pervious material, and has its ends secured to unit, by my improved cable construction, the the conductor sleeves 22, as by clamping rings 3|.

P wer unit and welding 'electrodesbeing more It will thus be seen that the bead or ribbon 25 45 or less diagrammatically shown; Fig. 2- is a fragseparates the inner wall of the tube 30 from the mentary section, illustrating my improved cable outer wall of the conductor and forms a spiral. construction and the manner in which it may be passageway therebetween, and prevents burning secured-to an electrode; Fig. 3 is a transverse secof the insulation, due to contact with the cable,

tion, taken through my improved cable, as indiwhich becomes hot after periods of prolonged 5o cated by the line 33 on Fig. 2. use.

Referring to the drawing, and especially to As heretofore mentioned, welding electrodes Fig. 1, I have diagrammatically illustrated a powof the type shown in the drawing, are generally er supply unit It, including the usual transforrncooled by circulating a stream of water through so er or other suitable power supply, as being mountthe hollow electrodes. Generally this is accom- 55 ill to the electrodes.

vent excessive deterioration of the cable insulation and the conductor.

AS shown in the drawing, the cooling fluid is supplied to the electrode through a conduit 3E5, one end OfEWhiCh is connected with a source of cooling fluid, such as, for instance, a The other end of this conduit 35 is secured to a fitting This fitting, as shown in Fig. 2, is connected as at 38 to the hollow electrode E2. Thus, the cooling fluid enters the electrode, passes through suitable openings ll formed in the conductor-attaching sleeve 22, and enters the spiral passageway 29] formed between the external walls of the conductor 2i and its insulating covering The cooling fluid then passes through a connecting sleeve, similar to the sleeve 22, at the other end of the conductor 2i into the connector it, and thence through a suitable conduit 39 and out of the cooling system.

it will be noted that by utilizing the passageway 29 between the conductor 29 and its protecting covering as a passageway for the cooling fluid, I eliminate, in effect, one of the conduits usually used for the cooling fluid, .thus reducing the number of conduits leading to the electrode and making the electrode easier to handle.

I further facilitate the handling of the electrode by cementing or vulcanizing to the conductor protecting tube til, at spaced intervals, suitable rubber hose clamps id, and I extend the cooling conduit through such clamps, thus securing such conduit to the conductor, causing it to form a part of my improved cable construction.

Welding electrodes, such as that illustrated, are generally controlled by a switch which, for convenience, is located on the electrode, as indicated at iii in Fig. 1. From this switch suitable flexible conductors 5i small in comparison with the conductors for the welding current, extend to the transformer or other power supply to enable the operator to selectively energize the electrode. To facilitate the handling of the electrode secure these conductors to the protecting tube or conduit 3t. For this purpose, i secure a second set of rubber clips 52 to the tube 30 either by cement or vulcanization and extend the control conductors or wires through such clips, as shown in Fig. 2. K

From the foregoing description it will be seen that Ihave'provided a simple and compact cable construction, for use with portable electric welding electrodes, which facilitates. the cooling of both the electrode and the welding current con ductor, and which at the same time provides a support for various control conduits; the arrangement being such that the conduits are supported at spaced intervals on the cables to facilitate the handling of the tool. I also utilize'the protective cover or insulation of the current conductor to form one conduit for the circulation of the cooling fluid. I also increase the flexibility of the cable construction by spacing the insulating coating from the welding conductor. This also protects the insulation, inasmuch as when the conductor. is in use in connection with a welding tool the connector becomes hot and contact between the hot conductor and the insulation would burn or otherwise damage the insulation. By maintaining the passageway between the con ductor and the insulation filled with the cooling medium, the insulation is further protected against the heat 0;? the conductozx I claim:

A welding cable construction comprising in combination, an elongated hollow rubber tube, flexible electrical conductor composed of strands of current conducting material, and extending axially within said tube, means comprising a flanged sleeve at one end of said tube to secure the conductor to said tube, means comprising a relatively narrow bead spirally wound about said conductor, and lying in a spiral groove in the periphery of the latter to space the conductor from the tube and form a spirally extending passageway for cooling fluid therebetween, the sleeve being provided with a passageway to perinit circulation'of said cooling fluid between the conductor and. the tube.

2. A welding cable construction comprising an elongated hollow rubber tube, an electrical conductor extending axially within said tube, a connector having a passageway therethrough, said connector being interposed between the conductor and said tube at one end thereof, means to secure the connector to said tube, and means comprising a relatively narrow rubber bead spirally wound about said conductor to space the conductor from the tube and to form a spirally extending passageway for cooling fluid therebetween, the passageway insaid connector com municating with the spiral passageway to thereby admit the circulation of a stream of said cooling fluid between the conductor and the tube.

3. A welding cable construction comprising in combination a flexible elongated insulating tube. an elongated flexible electrical conductor composed of spirally wound strands of current-conducting material extending axially within said tube, and an elongated insulating spacer wound upon said conductor in contact with adjacent strands and extending parallel therewith, to maintain a spiral passageway for cooling fluid between the conductor and the tube.

A welding-cable, comprising an elongated core of relatively flexible metal strands, an elongated hollow flexible sheath of dielectric material surrounding the core and impervious to the passage therethrough of cooling liquid under considerable pressurethroughout its length, flexible centering means extending along the core and operating to maintain a continuous passage between the core and sheath, and an electrical connector member at least at one end of the core about which member the sheath is sealed, said member having a passageway communicating with said continuous passage.

5. A welding cable comprising a flexible electric conductor, and a flexible tube of non-conductive material which is impervious to the passage of liquid through its walls at considerable pressure throughout the length of the tube, said tube loosely surrounding the core, an electrically nonconductive strip extending spirally about the core, to maintain a continuous passage lengthwise of the cable between the core and tube for cooling fluid, and an electrically conductive terminal member having a passage for said cooling fluid, in communication with said continuous passage, said terminal member being interposed between the flexible conductor and tube.

MERIT.- L. ECKMAN. 

